


You're In Here Too (In My Heart)

by TequilaMolotovShots



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: AND HE'LL GET IT DAMMIT, Bad Parents Jack and Janet Drake, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Canon can bite me, Child Neglect, Gen, I dunno the timeline of this, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mentioned Dick Grayson, Tim Drake Needs Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26741605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TequilaMolotovShots/pseuds/TequilaMolotovShots
Summary: "Tim.I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."
Relationships: Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne
Comments: 20
Kudos: 315





	You're In Here Too (In My Heart)

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive any mistakes in grammar or spelling I was inspired and had to post this quick before I lost the nerve. I love the batfam and I would die for any and all of them.

Recently Bruce has been weird. He’ll hover over Tim when they’re civilians and he’ll constantly try to keep him out of the worst of vigilante action. Sure, Tim had sprained his ankle kicking a thug and his wrist working on a case but it’s not like it’s the worst injuries he’s ever had. (Bruce flinched when Tim said that.) Plus they healed quickly.

(One time when Tim was 6 he knocked over a mirror and sliced his arm with a shard of glass. The babysitter had gone running to his mother screaming. Tim hazily remembered blood oozing everywhere. Janet had backed away and glared at the bloodstains on the carpet. His father had taken him to the hospital and the babysitter had been fired. _Incompetent. What am I paying her for? Can’t have a moment of piece. Designer rugs!_ Janet had said.

Jack had slapped his hand exactly once when he’d picked at the bandages. He’d learned and neither his mother nor father brought up the incident again.)

But the real weird stuff? Tim yawns and gets his coffee taken away and ushered into “his” room in the manor within seconds. He gets wrapped in an extra layer on chilly nights (It doesn’t impede movement much.) He gives one tiny sniffle and Bruce calls _Nightwing_ to replace him on patrol. (It stings a bit.) Tim can’t puzzle it out even with all his brainpower.

It comes to a head on a relatively simple case

Tim and Bruce have an understanding. Tim knows what he’s talking about and Batman follows his plans. It’s a system that works. Tim’s proven himself competent from the moment he showed up on Batman’s doorstep. Or at least he thought he did.

Which is why this is all the more infuriating and disheartening. 

They’re not even dealing with some of Batman’s truly troublesome Rogues. But whoever these drug dealers are they have a warehouse full of thugs with too many guns and a really outdated security system. Tim can’t get a look into what’s happening inside basically. Still, nothing they haven’t faced before. But-

“Robin, stay here, don’t come in until I clear the building.” Bruce had said. Tim protested immediately of course.

“B, it’s not a big deal. So we can’t see inside, nothing new. We can take out the gunmen more efficiently toge-.” 

“It’s an order Robin.”

It’s the wrong thing to say and Bruce knows it if you go by the regret in his face as soon as he says it. Robins historically don’t respond well to orders. Tim puffs up.

“I told you. I can deal with it! What’s wrong with you-,”

“Robin I-“

Batman tries.

“Honestly why do you think you have a partner if you try to do everything yourself?!” Tim is shocked into the realization that this is becoming a pattern.

“Robin.”

“You keep doing this lately! Trying to keep me out of the cases! Covering it up by telling me to rest and do homework and other pointless stuff! What are you trying to do?!” Tim’s losing control of his words. He tries to storm away but Bruce catches his wrist.

“Robin-,” Tim tries to tug away. Bruce’s grip isn’t painful but it’s firm.

“Haven’t I proven myself by now?! What more do you need me to do?! I can do this!! I can-,”

“Tim, _listen!_ ” is what gets him to stop tugging and look up at Bruce’s face. It’s scowling and his heart skips in fear ( _he messed up, he’s getting fired, he’ll never be Robin again_ ) before Bruce speaks up.

“Tim,” he says, quiet and pained, “Tim you’re resourceful, and incredibly intelligent and I don’t doubt your fighting capability. You’ve proven that more times than I can count. That’s not what this is about.”

Bruce lets go of Tim’s arm and cups his face. Tim isn’t even sure he’s breathing. Bruce squats down a bit so Tim’s staring into the white lenses.

“Tim.” He says again, quiet but sincere. 

“I _don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you_.” 

And that. That’s just silly. After all, Tim’s been beaten and burned and bruised too many times to count. He’s used to it by now. Built up a tolerance. Bruce should have too. 

Still, Tim gasps a sob at the words and the tone. Which is also just silly, Batman doesn’t necessarily mean anything by it. Batman protects all the people in Gotham, especially kids. 

On a more selfish level he might just not want another Robin to die on his watch.

But he doesn’t mean any of that, Tim knows. Knows it in the way Bruce has taken to picking Tim up from school. Knows it in the way Bruce smiles softly at him as he rambles about whatever’s captured his attention this week. Knows it in the way his own photographs are framed in very visible places in Wayne Manor (and even WE). Knows it in the way Bruce sat up all night when Tim was sick with the flu and didn’t complain even once. Knows it in the way they both go to have dinner with Dick once every two weeks.

Knows it in the way Bruce’s taken to calling the room across from Jason’s _Tim’s_ room.

(One time when Tim was 7 he broke his arm. His parents were annoyed at being interrupted by a call on their vacation but did not bring it up when they returned two months later.)

So the small part of his heart that’s still the little boy who desperately wants _someone_ to care about what happens to him leaps for joy.

It hurts. It feels like hope.

His lip is trembling and he’s blinking tears away rapidly under the mask. He must look ridiculous. 

Bruce pulls him into his chest and holds him for far too short a time. Then he lets go and steps back. 

He hesitates for a moment and Tim abruptly remembers how many people have been taken away from him.

“Go wait in the Batmobile, Robin.” Is all he says but it’s fond. Tim gives hesitant steps but doesn’t protest anymore. If he opens his mouth too many feelings could come out.

In the Batmobile, finally, Tim lets himself cry.

(One time, when Tim was 9 and stalking Batman and Robin, he’d fallen and scraped up his legs. He’d limped home and nobody ever found out.)

By the time Bruce gets back there’s police sirens and Tim’s cried himself out. He gives Bruce a wobbly smile and, surprisingly, Bruce gives a slightly wobbly one back. 

They’re going to be alright.


End file.
